Joseph Hillen returned to prison after breaching release terms

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Joseph Hillen was returned to prison in January 2024 after the State activated the suspended 12-month portion of his sentence because he failed to comply with his release terms, The Irish Sun reported. He had been released on 30 March 2023 after serving five years and 11 months of a nine-year sentence for the manslaughter of Martin Mulligan.

The report said Hillen attacked his mother and drove a car at her on 14 April 2023. He later received a fully suspended sentence at Lisburn Magistrates Court and was taken back into custody south of the border on 29 January 2024. The report quoted Mulligan’s daughters expressing concern about Hillen’s release and subsequent reoffending.